It is a blustery Friday. Carla is at school, my in-laws have all headed home. Teriyaki chicken breasts are cooking in the crockpot. My house is quiet, except for the wind bumping up against the windows. I have laundry to do and flyers to fold and a few groceries yet to put away, but I am in a Very Good Mood.
Here are some of the things that are contributing to my pleasant mood today.
1. Spring Springing Up. Earlier this week, Carla and I saw the first popcorn tree of the season. (I think the trees we refer to as “popcorn tress” are really Bartlett pear trees.) Most of the other trees in our area are still skeletal, with only the tiniest buds appearing on their branches. So it was delightful to see the frothy blooms, bright and happy against the persistent gloom of our very rainy April. That was Saturday, maybe? Today, I noticed that that single blooming scout has been joined by an array of blossoms. Cherry trees! Magnolias! Forsythia! It is really and truly spring. Also, one of the houses in our neighborhood bought and installed one of those enormous house-sized skeletons last Halloween. They have kept the skeleton up since October, and simply decorate it for the season. It is currently wearing pink garland and bunny ears, which delights me to no end.
2. Spring Flowers. My regular grocery store had a disappointing array of flowers this week. The tulips were all already on the far side of blooming, and were $8.99 besides. But I went to Trader Joe’s this morning and found lots and lots of tulips (for $4.99 a bunch!) and a bouquet of calla lilies (also $4.99!) to buy. Yay!
3. Tiny Tomato Plant. Speaking of Trader Joe’s, the last time I was there, I bought this little tomato plant on a whim. It is bringing me so much joy! Firstly, it has SO MANY tomatoes already growing! Plus, it keeps blooming with more and more little yellow flowers that will grow into their own fruit someday soon. My niece was obsessed with the plant, checking it daily, asking if the tomatoes were ripe enough to pick and eat. I wish I had been able to capture her little earnest, hopeful voice saying, “Aunt Suz? I really think this one is ripe now.” She and Carla both LOVE finding and eating a ripe tomato. So fun! Each plant was $9.99 and I should have bought more than one. Like… five of them.
4. Strawberries and Mascarpone. While I realize I am skating very close to turning this post into an ode to Trader Joe’s, I was enraptured by their produce section this morning. In particular, they had beautiful looking strawberries. I grabbed two packages along with some mascarpone cheese. One of my family’s favorite summer desserts is strawberries and mascarpone. You add some honey to the mascarpone cheese, whisk it up, and dollop it on top of cut fresh strawberries. I skip the honey these days and I find the whole thing just as satisfying and summery.
5. Kirkland Brand Prosecco Rose. This is my current favorite fun drink. I buy it for the ridiculously inexpensive price of $6.99 a bottle at my local Costco. It’s tasty. (Please note I am not a wine connoisseur, so I’m not saying it’s GOOD, just that I like the taste, which is really what matters when a person is drinking a beverage.) And IT’S PINK. A pink drink is automatically fun. Well, unless it’s Pepto Bismol or some sort of antibiotic, but that doesn’t really count as a “drink,” even though you drink it. I am getting off track. This sparkly drink makes any random evening into something that feels cheerful and celebratory.
And we have reason to celebrate (with more than cheap bubbly): my mother-in-law is in remission! We are all so happy and relieved. I know the prospect of the cancer remaining or having spread was weighing heavily on my in-laws minds and this is just the BEST news. A big part of the reason they were visiting this time was to see her oncologist surgeon, and do a bunch of tests and scans. I am really glad we could be their home base while they underwent this ordeal. Her good news was the perfect note to end their visit on.
Hoping you have a wonderful weekend, and if you are celebrating Passover or Easter, that you enjoy your holiday, and that if you aren’t participating in any holiday that you find SOMETHING to celebrate and a pink drink to toast with.
Great news! Remission is a wonderful thing.
I’m not much of an alcohol drinker, but Trader Joe’s had a Watermelon Cucumber Cooler (which doesn’t to me taste of either) that is very refreshing and also pink! It’s funny how much the pink cheers me.
Yes! I love TJ’s watermelon juice and strawberry juice – also pink!
This post made me smile because I’ve had many “moments” with Trader Joe’s over the years. When it’s good it’s oh so good.
I’m the only one in my house who drinks champagne and we do not own any champagne flutes. Occasionally I’ll get the single serve bottles and drink it out of whatever glass is on hand so I approve of your wine glass.
Yay for $6.99 bottles of adult beverages, yay for pink drinks, and yay yay yay for your MIL’s good news. I can’t think of any finer way to start a holiday weekend.
I am also the only one in my household who drinks bubbles, so I drink one bottle over several days. Admittedly, by the time I pour the last glass, it’s rather flat. But still tastes good (I think)!
Wonderful news about your MIL being in remission! I also love the signs of spring; my tulips are up and blooming beautifully right now in spite of our current chilly weather. I’ve never seen a tomato plant like that but nothing beats tomatoes off the vine.
Oh, so happy about your MIL being in remission! What beautiful news.
Okay, I am here for this post! We have snow and it’s minus 6, so I am loving that you have blossoms! On trees! And also that you have a neighbour who dresses up a skeleton. HERE FOR IT.
Love the little tomatoes and the flowers, those strawberries look gorgeous, and someone gifted me a Kirkland bottle of red once, and I thought “Costco wine, hmm.” AND YET IT WAS DELICIOUS. I was so pleasantly surprised! I thought it would be…not good. So I support your Kirkland rose choices!
What wonderful news about your MIL.
Love the flowers and tomatoes and strawberries. Everything really does look like spring and it is nice to see vibrant colours. I’m imagining these things and living vicariously through you as it is cold and wet and grey here today. (But I’m currently curled up in bed with Magic Bags at my feet, so it’s not all bad)!
Schools are closed Friday and Monday for Easter, so it’s a long weekend – tomorrow is supposed to be warm and Monday sunny, so I’m hoping for at least one nice outdoor activity?!
So happy about your mother in law!
As you probably know, I love these types of posts. 🙂
Suzanne! I am SO happy to hear that your mother in law is in remission! That is amazing news. I don’t do bubbly wine, but I have lifted a glass of chardonnay in her honor.
Spring is here – I know because our allergies are in high gear but that is a small price to pay as I look at all the budding trees and flowers. And yes, I believer your “popcorn tree” is a Bradford Pear.
This is great news about MIL. I love this whole post, happy news about trees in bloom, fun tomato plants (by someone who doesn’t like tomatoes), good health, and wine that tastes good to you. Your enjoyment of pink wine reminds me of when I was at a school fundraiser about 12 or 13 years ago. For context, I did not get out much, like at all. My kids were little people. Anyway, I couldn’t remember the kind of wine that I liked (at the time), so I wrinkled up my nose to the waiter and asked: UM, WHAT’S THAT PINK WINE? Other moms in earshot died laughing and imitated my wine ordering technique for ages. “SHE’LL HAVE THE PINK WINE.”
I’ve never had strawberries with mascarpone and I need to. Sounds delicious, maybe with a glass of rose. A new goal. Glad to read about your MIL.
Such good news about your MIL!
We’re in Michigan right now, which is less springlike than home, but it’s still fun to be on vacation.
Okay – reading about the dressed up skeleton made me bust out in the BIGGEST grin. I love when people do things like that!
And then I finished your post with a huge grin after reading about your MIL.
And let’s be honest, I smiled through everything in between because it all sounds so lovely. Your good mood is contagious!
Such great news about your MIL! What a relief for everyone, but especially your MIL. Phew!
It is so far from springlike here in Minnesota. It’s so cold and wintery. It’s just awful! Spring is usually disappointing here but this year has been especially bad. We are still putting the boys in their winter coats most days. Sob! But in May we’ll hopefully have beautiful flowering trees!
Remission! What lovely, lovely news about your mother-in-law. What a relief! I’m so glad they were able to stay with you while undergoing all of this, too. <3
The one thing that sucks about having cats (lol) is that I can't have fresh flowers in my home! So many of them are toxic to cats and I can't trust them not to try to eat the flowers. I used to love getting fresh flowers for myself but it's all over now. Wah. I will live vicariously through you.
Oh, I would have bought the tulips at TJ’s for $4.99… they were $9.99 here on my last shopping trip and I didn’t buy them.